Engineering:MV Minerva
.jpg) Minerva at Krasnodarskiy Kray 8 October 2015.
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: |
|
| Operator: | Swan Hellenic |
| Port of registry: |
Nassau,  Bahamas |
| Laid down: | 1989 |
| Launched: | 1990 |
| Completed: | 1996 |
| Maiden voyage: | 1996 |
| In service: | 29 April 1996 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 9144196 |
| Status: | Laid-up |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 12,892 GT[1] |
| Length: | 436 ft (133 m) |
| Beam: | 66.5 ft (20.3 m) |
| Draught: | 18.9 ft (5.8 m) |
| Decks: | 6 (passenger decks) |
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Capacity: | 350 passengers |
| Crew: | 160 |
The Minerva is a cruise ship built in 1989, and originally intended as a Soviet research vessel, the Okean. The deal to purchase her fell through and Swan Hellenic (at the time a subsidiary of P&O Cruises) purchased her in 1996 and renamed her Minerva.
History
She sailed with Swan Hellenic until her lease ran out in 2003.[clarification needed] She briefly sailed with Saga Cruises as the Saga Pearl, and was then chartered to Abercrombie & Kent as the Explorer II, making voyages to Antarctica and South America from December to April with up to 198 passengers.[2] From May to November, she sailed for the German-owned travel company Phoenix Reisen as the Alexander von Humboldt.
In July 2007 it was announced that the ship had been acquired by the relaunched Swan Hellenic line and the name would revert to Minerva. In early 2012, Minerva received a multi-million-pound, 83-day refit.[3][4]
In January 2017, Swan Hellenic went into administration and cancelled cruises on Minerva until further notice.[5]
Gallery
Saga Pearl at Tallinn in 2003
Explorer II at Grytviken, South Georgia in 2007
Alexander von Humbold after departure from Bremerhaven in 2007
Minerva arriving at Tallinn in 2013
References
- ↑ Leonardo Info, RI 73986
- ↑ "Minerva tours". Abercrombie & Kent. http://www.abercrombiekent.com/index.cfm?navid=3.2.4&Antarctica/Minerva/Cruise/Luxury-Ship-Tours.
- ↑ "Welcome to nginx". http://www.sirencomms.com/news/43/.
- ↑ "Minerva Enters Lloyd Werft - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". 7 December 2011. http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/6491-minerva-enters-lloyd-werft.html.
- ↑ "Bosses at collapsed Swan Hellenic cruise firm paid themselves nearly £1m". https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/01/04/swan-hellenic-cruises-owner-collapses-400-holidaymakers-abroad/.
Bibliography
- Ward, Douglas. Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships 2005-2007. Berlitz.
External links
- "MV Minerva – Facts & Figures". Swan Hellenic. http://www.swanhellenic.com/ship.html?shipid=895&pagetype=33.
- Pictures of MV Minerva including visit to Dartmouth, Devon 11 July 2010
- "Swanning Around The Mediterranean" – review by Peter Newall in Maritime Matters of a Mediterranean cruise aboard MV Minerva
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